Martin B-26 Marauder: The Wingless Wonder was the name of a variant of Avalon Hill's B-17: Queen of the Skies solitaire boardgame. A draft of B-26 was available for play testing which used the B-17: Queen of the Skies rules and B-17 was needed to play. Everything has changed since then, and B-26: The Marauder Strikes! has completly new mechanics and is a stand alone game. It is a solitaire game set on board a Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber during World War Two in the European Theater of Opearations from July 1943 until the end of the war in May 1945.

B-26: The Marauder Strikes! is a big game in that there are many target lists, rules, mission maps and details which are not found in B-17: Queen of the Skies or B-29 Superfortress: Bombers over Japan. For example, the Damage Tables are more detailed than the earlier games and the combat system is similar, but completely new. The Target Lists include a large selection of targets attacked by B-26s from July 1943 until the end of the war in May 1945 and are placed on 13 maps (movement boards) which are different depending on where your base is located, from England to the Netherlands. Different models of the B-26 is also included from the early B-26 in 1941 until the B-26G which entered combat in October 1944. The earlier models are not used in the European Theater of Operations (the ETO) in which B-26: The Marauder Strikes! is set, but will be used in 22nd Bomb Group: Marauders from Australia, an add-on variant set in the Pacific in the war against Japan in New Guinea.

The rules in this Flight Manual try to reflect the twin engined B-26 Marauder and situations and events which the crews saw on their missions and historical accuracy has been an important guideline during the development of this game.

Players familiar with B-17: Queen of the Skies or B-29 Superfortress: Bombers over Japan recognize the mechanics used in B-26. One or more 6-sided dice are rolled on tables to plan the mission, to determine if enemy fighters appear, to hit with machine gun fire and to determine damage and wounds and much more. B-26 is as easy to play as B-17 with its basic system which is similar to the mechanics in B-17: Queen of the Skies. Players who have flown missions in B-17 may find that B-26 is similar, but more detailed and there are ideas included in B-26 which can be found in the B-17: Queen of the Skies community. If you add the advanced and optional guidelines you will find B-26 to become deep, detailed and complex, but still does not stray far from the simple mechanics of the basic system. You will also find yourself in situations where you have to make a decision.

The Core Game Flight Manual will be used to play the A-20 Havoc, A-26 Invader and B-25 Mitchell add-ons.

You can begin your campaign flying missions from bases in England or jump in later in the war when the B-26 groups had moved to the continent and you will find Mission Maps with your station either in England, France, Belgium or the Netherlands depending on when you fly your missions. Put together a crew, name your B-26 and fly missions over France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Germany, Austria and Chechoslovakia!

B-25B: A Pilot and Co-Pilot, a Bombardier in the nose. Aft of the bomb bay is a Navigator/Radio operator/Top Turret Gunner and a Lower Turret Gunner. In B-26 the Gunner will man the Top Turret and the Navigator the Lower Turret.B-25C/D: A Pilot and Co-Pilot, a Bombardier/Navigator in the nose, an Engineer/Top Turret Gunner and a Radio Operator/Lower Turret Gunner in the waist, behind the bomb bay.

B-25G/H: The G has a Pilot and Co-Pilot, and the H has only a Pilot. Navigator/Canonneer behind the pilots. Radio Operator/Lower Turret Gunner in the G and Radio Operator/Waist Gunner in the H. Top Turret Gunner in the G and H and a Tail Gunner in the H. In B-26 the top turret is manned by the Engineer and the Armorer is in the tail by the tail guns.B-25J: A Pilot and Co-Pilot, a Bombardier/Navigator in the nose, a Top Turret Gunner, a Radio Operator/Waist Gunner and a Tail Gunner. The Radio Operator/Gunner had his station in the waist section, behind the bomb bay. He manned both waist machine guns. In B-26 the top turret is manned by the Engineer and the Armorer is in the tail by the tail guns.

B-25 Lead Ship Crew and Non-Lead Composition in B-26: The Marauder Strikes!A non-lead crew will not have a Norden Bomb Sight unless all ships bomb individually. (See the Low-Level Mission Expansion.) Each crew will have the above listed members.

A Box Lead and Deputy Box Lead Crew will have a full crew, but instead of a Bombardier/Navigator there will be a Bombardier and Navigator. A Norden Bomb Sight is installed. The J-Model will have both the Bombardier and Navigator in the Nose. In the other B-25 models they will be at their respective station.Crew MovementIn the B-25 it is possible to move from the Nose to the Tail. To reach the Radio Comapartment from the front of the bomber a crew man must crawl through a space between the bomb bay and the ceiling of the bomber, and then to reach the Tail he must crawl from the aft part of the waist all the way through to the tail. In the C/D a crew man have to lie on his stomach but in the tail green house it is possible to sit on a small seat.